


Happy Birthday to the Thistle in the Tender Arse Crack of Prince Henry's Life, Alex Claremont-Diaz

by hazeleyedwriter



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, M/M, Museum dates, Post-Canon, Short & Sweet, a fic for Alex's birthday, a whole lot of nerdiness both on Alex's part and the author's, firstprince, idk if those need a tag but fair warning I guess, the Smithsonian, there are mentions of politics and history
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23354335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hazeleyedwriter/pseuds/hazeleyedwriter
Summary: “Close your eyes, love,” Henry says to Alex when they’re a block away from their destination. “I’ll guide you where we need to go."Or,A short ficlet to celebrate none other than Alex Claremont-Diaz's birthday.
Relationships: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Comments: 6
Kudos: 128





	Happy Birthday to the Thistle in the Tender Arse Crack of Prince Henry's Life, Alex Claremont-Diaz

**Author's Note:**

> I took a virtual tour of the Smithsonian to know the layout of the exhibit, but some things that are mentioned are not in the exhibit itself, just things that I hc Alex would know. Everything Alex talks about is verifiable.

Henry had had this planned for months. He had corresponded with the curator in January, had coordinated his flights to and from DC in February, and today was finally the day.

“Close your eyes, love,” Henry says to Alex when they’re a block away from their destination. Alex gives him a look. “I’ll guide you where we need to go,” Henry continues as if it was expected that Alex would navigate the streets of Washington by himself with his eyes closed. Well, he does know the city like the back of his hand, so he could probably do it. But that isn’t part of Henry’s plan.

Instead, he holds out his hand. Alex, still looking wary, takes it.

“No peeking,” Henry says.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Alex replies.

A city block, a few doorways, a trip in an elevator and a couple corners turned later and Henry squeezes Alex’s hand and says, “open.”

They’re standing in the National Museum of American History, on the second floor, in front of a giant button that says “American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith.” Alex could have helped put the exhibit together— it combines two of his favorite topics: history, and the right to vote.

“Tell me everything you know,” Henry says.

And Alex does.

They walk through the exhibit, hand in hand, past the section about the American Revolution, past one of the first automatic voting machines, past the chair that John F. Kennedy sat in during the first televised presidential debate against Richard Nixon, past FDR’s Four Freedoms, and past signs and posters from various protests of years gone by. And Alex tells Henry everything he knows— he tells him about how the fight for women’s rights to vote wasn’t as intersectional as it could have been, and that the constitution itself had to be amended at least twice in order to give more than just straight white men the right to vote. He tells Henry that there is still progress to be made in making sure that people with a criminal record still get to vote, and he tells him about the letter Karl Marx sent to Abraham Lincoln, congratulating him on his re-election. He tells him about how the Kennedy election might’ve been rigged, and that Nixon had refused to have the Chicago votes recounted. He tells him about how after FDR’s presidency, the constitution was amended so that a president could only be in office for two terms, and how Roosevelt had the job for nearly twelve years because the people felt he was best to get the country through the Great Depression and World War II. Alex points out the poster for an AIDS march, and a sign that reads, “Equality Is Not A Special Right.”

Henry keeps his attention fixed on his boyfriend and notices the way his eyes light up when he remembers a particularly interesting factoid. They’re no longer holding hands by the second stop— Alex needs both of his in order to gesture excitedly. When they get to the section about protests Alex stops suddenly, lowering his hands.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He asks. He had been in the middle of explaining the Equal Rights Amendment and the marches that had taken place in the '60s in support of the bill.

“I’m not looking at you like anything,” Henry tries to recover. Alex squints. Henry, if Alex was metaphorically inclined, had been looking at him like he had all the stars in his eyes and he would never get tired of the view. He would be right, but Henry wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.

“Keep talking,” Henry says as he closes his eyes. “Now I can’t look at you at all.”

Alex scoffs, but kisses Henry’s cheek softly before continuing his lecture.

When they finish the exhibit and Alex has talked himself wordless, he takes Henry’s hand again and leads them toward a small door with no discernible signs depicting that it is an exit.

“Where are you taking me?” Henry asks.

“Have I never told you my museum fantasy?” Alex smirks. The door opens to a broom closet, and before Henry can even think to be scandalized Alex pushes him inside and closes the door.

“You know, you never have taken me on a grand tour of the White House. Did I ever tell you about my own fantasy?” Henry says after he’s kissed Alex breathless against a shelf of cleaning supplies.

“You wanna get down and dirty in the room where the Queen once stayed in?” Alex raises an eyebrow. Henry makes a disgusted noise.

“You ruined it,” he says. He reaches to open the closet door and steps back into the exhibit as Alex cackles behind him.

“It’s not possible for someone to ruin their own birthday. Whatever I say goes,” Alex points out. Henry rolls his eyes.

“You really are the thistle in the tender arse crack of my life,” he says fondly.

“You bet, baby,” Alex replies, emphasizing the last syllable.

“Happy birthday, love,” Henry says, leaning in to kiss Alex softly before leading them to the real exit.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! You can find me on twitter @/howlingcommndos where I like to scream about our favorite power couple and also superheroes. :)


End file.
